One Year Ago, Media Jumped to Blame Boston Bombing on ‘Anti-Government’ ‘Extreme Right’

On April 15, 2013, one year ago, two Muslim extremists planted bombs at the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring 264 others. This tragic event was sadly exploited by some in the media who quickly speculated that “extreme right” and “anti-government” individuals could be responsible for the mayhem.

The morning after the attack, Good Morning America’s Pierre Thomas narrated a segment with an on-screen graphic wondering, “Could this be homegrown terror?” Thomas noted that April 15th was only four days before the anniversaries of the bloody end of the Branch Davidian standoff and the Oklahoma City bombing. Regarding the date the attack occurred, GMAguest Mark Potok linked, “The real Patriots Day is April 19th. That is the date that counts for people on the extreme right in the United States.”

Chris Matthews, on the day of the bombing, sneered: “Normally, domestic terrorists, people, tend to be on the far right — well, that’s not a good category, just extremists, let’s call them that.”

See a round-up, including video, of the worst examples of journalistic malpractice.

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